News

CIPS signs partnership with business psychology organisation JCA Global to address soft skills in the sector.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Recent surveys1 from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) reveal links between poor relationships with suppliers and higher risks of supply chain disasters. By partnering with JCA Global, a leader in the field of emotional intelligence (EI), CIPS will provide members with resources to improve engagement, performance and wellbeing among their workforce, leading to better relationships with suppliers and ultimately reducing the risk of disruptions.

These resources will allow members to develop soft skills in areas such as communication, supplier relationship management, negotiation and influencing. Material including case studies, tools and templates is available in a dedicated knowledge hub of the CIPS website, which will be continually updated and developed as challenges in business and procurement continue to evolve.

David Noble, Group CEO, CIPS, said, “The value of these soft skills is still being overlooked in the profession and in business, and yet they are such a crucial part of what makes a true professional.

“EI no longer lies in the realm of ‘nice to have’ and only relevant to particular sectors. It is an essential part of our development as professionals but also as human beings in a world increasingly defined by the way we communicate and interact with each other.

“Having worked with JCA on a number of projects in the past, I am assured that they are the best possible partner for our organisation and our members. Their unrivalled experience in this field will be of great use to our members, their employees and the industry as a whole.”

John Cooper, CEO of JCA Global, said:“We are delighted to be working in partnership with CIPS. Emotional intelligence is vital to sustainable performance and productivity in the workplace, and so to have this opportunity to highlight its importance in the procurement and supply chain management sector is very exciting. We look forward to making some great developments within the industry.”

To further develop knowledge in this area, CIPS members are being invited to participate in another study to understand the levels of emotional intelligence displayed in the procurement and supply management profession [link www.surveymonkey.com/r/cipseisurvey]. The initial findings will be discussed at the CIPS Annual Conference in London on 8 October 2015, with a full report available next year.

The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) is the world’s largest procurement and supply professional organisation. It is the worldwide centre of excellence on procurement and supply management issues. CIPS has a global community of over 115,000 in 150 different countries, including senior business people, high-ranking civil servants and leading academics. The activities of procurement and supply chain professionals have a major impact on the profitability and efficiency of all types of organisation and CIPS offers corporate solutions packages to improve business profitability. www.cips.org; @CIPSNews

About JCA Global

JCA is an international people development business, delivering sustainable advantage to businesses by improving performance, engagement and well-being amongst the people that work in them. As experienced business psychologists, JCA Global fully understands the reasons why organisations, teams and individuals behave as they do, and what’s required to change attitudes and behaviours to achieve positive business outcomes. It leads the way in developing Emotional Intelligence in organisations through the unique combination of state-of-the-art developmental psychometrics and impactful consultancy and development solutions to cultivate the Emotional Intelligence of clients, helping them perform to their full potential.